She is co-editor of the book ‘Rethinking Food and Agriculture: New Ways Forward’ and co-founder of the Veterinary Vegan Network and Ethical Globe.

Laila worked in the international development sector from 2003 to 2018 with NGOs, foundations, government ministries and international research institutions. Her work focused on conducting research for rural development projects in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This ranged from planning multi-million dollar projects to assessing their impact on poverty and food security. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and by international organisations including CGIAR and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO). She has lived and worked in the UK, Switzerland, Kenya, Guyana, Malaysia and Ghana.

Laila has a PhD in Development Economics (SOAS), an MSc in Development Management (LSE) and a BSc in Economics and Politics (Bristol). She has a passion for permaculture and natural building. She takes pride in her Muslim heritage and in her spare time she loves to read, meditate and spend time with other animals, including her feline housemate Lucky.

He was a co-founder of Animal Rebellion and previously organised the UK’s Animal Rights Gathering (2017 & 2018).

Professionally Mark has worked as a management consultant and group facilitator specialising in risk mitigation, strategic decision making and project impact. He has worked for many national and international organisations, including HMRC, British Sugar, the NHS, Ministry of HE Indonesia, Ministry of Trade Sweden, and Ministry Of Defence. He was a lecturer in this area at Lancaster University Management School at BSc, MSc and MBA levels between 2001 and 2018. He is a trainer in Systems Thinking and Group Facilitation for his professional body, The Operational Research Society. He has twice been awarded teaching prizes for his work on incorporating diversity into the university syllabus. He has postgraduate training as a Group Analyst (Psychotherapy).

Mark was a founder and director of the multi-award-winning Lancaster Cohousing; and co-founder and director of the UK Cohousing Network 2006-2015, and chair 2013-2015. As a gay man, he has enjoyed organising several of Lancaster’s QueerFeasts, as well as helping organise Lancaster Pride in 2007. In his spare time he enjoys fell running; foraging; cooking; and generally being outdoors.

After being involved with Extinction Rebellion in 2019 and witnessing first-hand the power of people standing up together to change the national conversation, Natalie went on to lead Animal Rebellion’s social media team later that year. It was here that she learned more about the role of storytelling in strategic campaigning.

Before joining Animal Think Tank full-time, Natalie worked in entertainment media (PR, journalism and book publishing), and is also a published novelist. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, writing, exploring new places and being in nature with her favourite person, Hattie.

Pranav’s professional background is in the world of finance and technology. He began his career in investment banking and then transitioned to corporate advisory, business operations and corporate finance for Silicon Valley tech companies. Despite his prior professional focus, he always remained interested and involved in animal rights work, usually as a volunteer. 

Of Indian descent, Pranav was raised in sunny Southern California and now lives in Lancaster, where has morphed into a true Brit and now loves the cold, cloudy, and rainy weather.

Rob gained his PhD in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol. His past research investigated the mental processes which support our ability to remember, think, and make decisions. Rob became interested in Animal Freedom activism in 2022 where he began volunteering with his local animal rights group to reach out to the local community and encourage veganism. He has also volunteered with Animal Rebellion on their “Stop the supply” and “Feed our future” campaigns.

In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, gardening, video games, and playing chess. He lives at home with his wife, his son, a grumpy hedgehog, and three somewhat cocky hens.

They moved to the UK in 2022 from Turkey to pursue their master’s in digital marketing. Nazlı believes in the power of intersectionality in causes, such as feminism, LGBTIQ+ rights, and the animal rights movement. They have volunteered as an activist with several vegan organisations worldwide, including Animal Save Movement and their current involvement with Animal Rising. Furthermore, they helped to spread the word veganism in Turkey through VEGvorous, an online platform they co-founded in 2018.

Nazlı shares their life with Kadife, a 7-year-old rescue cat. Kadife enjoys accompanying Nazlı on forest walks, yelling at closed doors, and eating plant-based cat food!

Natasha recently completed a Master’s degree in Anthrozoology at the University of Exeter. Her past research has explored the importance of re-centering embodied, emotional knowledge and connections across social justice issues in the animal freedom movement. Throughout her Master’s, Natasha has worked with multiple charities and activist groups, utilising her skills in visual and written communication to spearhead creative projects that effect change. She sees herself as a vegan-feminist and is particularly interested in the creative power of the arts in activism.

In her spare time, Natasha enjoys drawing and painting, creative writing, meditating, and squirrel-watching. She also hopes to start a cycling for wildlife group to create memorials for animals killed on roads.

She was born and raised in France and was part of the French climate justice movement for several years before dedicating herself entirely to the cause closest to her heart: the liberation of all animals. She was the co-founder and leader of Earth Resistance, a French animal rights organisation, between 2017 and 2019. She trained dozens of antispeciesist activists on the strategy of nonviolence and civil disobedience and organised several direct actions. She is trained in Nonviolent Communication and is passionate about psychology, sociology, strategy and social change theory – any field that can help social movements become transformative and powerful.

She has degrees in Literature, History and Political Science. She loves reading (her favourite author is Virginia Woolf) but also finds great joy in musicals, video games, getaway weekends and broccoli.